This invention relates to a portable electronic device equipped with a timing pulse generator.
In conventional portable electronic devices which make use of a timing pulse generator, such as calculators, electronic timepieces and electronic timepieces equipped with a calculator function, the timing pulse generator operated continuously while the power source was in the ON state. In recent years, the development of a light receptive type display device, namely a liquid crystal display device, has made it possible to reduce overall power consumption, thereby leading to the realization of portable electronic devices which can operate on small silver batteries. Since the power required for display purposes and the power consumed in a static manner by the circuitry has been greatly reduced, the dynamic power consumed by the timing pulse generator is relatively large by comparison. Since the line of timing pulses is widely circulated through the IC chip, the power consumed by the timing pulse generator cannot be ignored due to its effect upon battery lifetime. Thus, the continuous operation of the timing pulse generator while the battery is in the ON state was a major disadvantage encountered in the prior art.